Medical Humanities: An Introduction

This textbook brings the humanities to students in order to evoke the humanity of students. It helps to form individuals who take charge of their own minds, who are free from narrow and unreflective forms of thought, and who act compassionately in their public and professional worlds. Using concepts and methods of the humanities, the book addresses undergraduate and premed students, medical students, and students in other health professions, as well as physicians and other healthcare practitioners. It encourages them to consider the ethical and existential issues related to the experience of disease, care of the dying, health policy, religion and health, and medical technology. Case studies, images, questions for discussion, and role-playing exercises help readers to engage in the practical, interpretive, and analytical aspects of the material, developing skills for critical thinking as well as compassionate care.

Table of Contents:
Part I. History and Medicine: 1. The doctor-patient relationship Thomas Cole and Benjamin Saxton; 2. Constructing disease Thomas Cole and Benjamin Saxton; 3. Educating doctors Thomas Cole and Benjamin Saxton; 4. Technology and medicine Thomas Cole and Benjamin Saxton; 5. The health of populations Thomas Cole and Benjamin Saxton; 6. Death and dying Thomas Cole and Benjamin Saxton; Part II. Literature, the Arts, and Medicine: 7. Narratives of illness Ronald Carson; 8. Aging in film Thomas Cole and Benjamin Saxton; 9. Medicine and media Nathan Carlin; 10. Poetry and moral imagination Ronald Carson; 11. Doctor-writers Ronald Carson; 12. Studying medicine Ronald Carson; Part III. Philosophy and Medicine: 13. Ways of knowing Ronald Carson; 14. Goals of medicine Ronald Carson; 15. Health and disease Thomas Cole and Benjamin Saxton; 16. Moral philosophy and bioethics Ronald Carson; 17. Medicine and power Nathan Carlin; 18. Just health care Ronald Carson; Part IV. Religion and Medicine: 19. World religions for medical humanities Nathan Carlin; 20. Religion and health Nathan Carlin; 21. Religion and reality Nathan Carlin; 22. Religion and bioethics Nathan Carlin; 23. Suffering and hope Nathan Carlin; Contributions to chapters William Howze.

About the Author :
Thomas R. Cole is the McGovern Chair in Medical Humanities and Director of the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. Dr Cole has published many articles and several books on the history of aging and humanistic gerontology. His book The Journey of Life: A Cultural History of Aging in America (1992) was nominated for a Pulitzer prize. His book No Color Is my Kind and accompanying film The Strange Demise of Jim Crow (1997) were nominated for a National Humanities medal. His work has been featured in the New York Times, on National Public Radio, Voice of America, PBS, and at the United Nations. Nathan S. Carlin is Associate Professor at the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics and Director of the Medical Humanities and Ethics Certificate Program at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. He has co-authored two previous books, Living in Limbo: Life in the Midst of Uncertainty (2010) and 100 Years of Happiness: Insights and Findings from the Experts (2012). He has also published more than 100 journal articles, book chapters, and book reviews in about a dozen different journals. Ronald A. Carson is Professor Emeritus at the Institute for the Medical Humanities, University of Texas Medical Branch. He has received fellowships from the Institute on Human Values in Medicine, the Council for Philosophical Studies, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. He is an elected Fellow of the Hastings Center, a former president of the Society for Health and Human Values, and a recipient of that society's annual award. He has written many articles, chapters, and book reviews. He is co-editor of four books, including Practicing the Medical Humanities: Engaging Physicians and Patients (2003).

Review :
'This book is essential to any medical program that endeavors to develop the physicians of tomorrow in today's complex social, cultural, ethical and political world. It combines a clear introduction to the roles of the humanities in medical education with the detail required for an indispensable source book for teachers and students alike. Medical humanities, as an educational pursuit, has waited a long time for this textbook and who better to write it than three such distinguished originators and advocates of the field.' Jane Macnaugton, University of Durham 'Rarely has the phrase 'it's about time' been more appropriate in medical education than with the publication of Medical Humanities. Its coverage is extraordinary. Crisply written, melding originality and synthesis into a tight, fascinating narrative, it fills an enormous gap in our curriculum. I can't wait to use it.' David Oshinsky, Director, Division of Medical Humanities, New York University Medical College, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in History for Polio: An American Story 'Leaders in the field of medical humanities, the authors of this comprehensive and long-overdue textbook bring their collective experience in developing programs, designing curricula, working with students and producing important scholarship to the project. They have provided an essential resource and invaluable tool for teachers in any and all settings: from pre-med classrooms to postgraduate seminars.' Therese Jones, Director, Arts and Humanities in Healthcare Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus 'Medical Humanities is a wonderful text, a brilliant tour de force by three individuals who had much to do with the creation of this discipline. The subject of humanities as it pertains to medicine is now systematically taught in many medical schools; I can see this work would be a great asset to students as well as those who teach the subject. This volume will find a prized place on my shelf.' Abraham Verghese, Stanford University, California; Founding Director of the Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics, San Antonio; and author of Cutting for Stone 'Excellent text.' Mazdak Tehrani, Arizona College of Nursing 'I like the book's organization and scope. I also like the illustrations and the kinds of texts that the authors engage with. I will definitely consider this text for future iterations of my course.' Joanne Diaz, Illinois Wesleyan University 'The book is excellent, and I'm adopting it for my class. I've shown it to several students, and they've all found it of interest.' Benjamin Doty, St. Mary's University Texas